December 17, 2021

An introduction to quantum mechanics and QFT

From nationaalarchief, Link

This is a list of books which you should study in order. That being said, of course, each person is different and you might skip this and that. In any case, this is what should have worked for me back when I was a student.

You need to understand how to apply the least action principle for simple finite systems:

  • Mechanics, Course of Theoretical Physics Vol. 1, 3rd Edition – L.D. Landau, E.M. Lifshitz
    ISBN-10: 0750628960, ISBN-13: 978-0750628969

You need to understand how to apply the least action principle for classical fields:

  • The Classical Theory of Fields, Course of Theoretical Physics Vol. 2, 4th Revised Edition – L.D. Landau, E.M. Lifshitsz
    ISBN-10: 0750627689, ISBN-13: 978-0750627689

You need to understand quantum mechanics:

  • Quantum Mechanics: A Modern Development, 2nd Edition – L. E. Ballentine
    ISBN-10: 9814578576, ISBN-13: 978-9814578578
  • Lectures on Quantum Mechanics, 2nd Edition – S. Weinberg
    ISBN-10: 9781107111660, ISBN-13: 978-1107111660

You need to understand Lie groups and Lie algebras because every symmetry is expressed in terms of a Lie group:

  • Lie Groups, Lie Algebras, and Representations: An Elementary Introduction, 2nd Edition – B. C. Hall

    Copyright Tamiko Thiel 1984 – communication from photographer, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

    ISBN-10: 3319134663, ISBN-13: 978-3319134666

  • The Quantum Theory of Fields, Vol. 1 – S. Weinberg
    ISBN-10: 0521670535, ISBN-13: 978-0521670531
  • The Conceptual Framework of Quantum Field Theory, A. Duncan
    ISBN-10: 0199573263, ISBN-13: 978-0199573264